Mobile travel bookings to reach $26 billion by 2014

Technology, retail, customer service and location-based services are some of the areas forced to evolve and change based on the rising use of mobile technology by consumers -- but are travelers choosing to go mobile?

According to experts at Expedia, the answer is yes. At a seminar highlighting business trends on Sep. 24, the online travel service provider said that more and more consumers are turning to their smartphone or tablet in order to make their travel arrangements.

One of the seminar highlights Expedia bought to the table is the prediction that vacation and travel bookings are expected to reach $26 billion worldwide, according to Neha Parikh, U.S. and Canada president and general manager with Expedia’s Hotels.com.

This figure is a steep rise from an estimated $2.6 billion in 2010, and $8 billion in 2012.

Parikh said that the rise is due to consumers seeking out deals through mobile applications. However, you could also argue it is down to convenience and the rapid transfer of information that mobile devices offer. A number of companies have tapped into the potential of mobile technology -- which is unlikely to simply be a passing trend -- including Blink, an app which lets customers book last-minute hotel rooms.

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